DONATION OF BOOKS & OTHER MATERIALHere are a few pointers about what NOT to donate. We don't like to think that we have limits, but some items are simply not appealing to the Friends' Book Sale clientele for a variety of reasons, and all donations require volunteer time to sort and box as well as space to store - all of which are precious resources, always in short supply. You can help! Use these guidelines to sort, weed and discard inappropriate materials before donating to the Friends (or any other nonprofit).
Condition matters! Please DO NOT donate books in the following condition(s):
Dirty, Shabby, Soiled, Smelly
Moldy, Mildewed
Water Damaged or Insect Damaged
Damaged Binding or Pages
Missing or Torn Covers or Pages
Excessive Writing, Markings, or Highlighting
Softcover books with crooked or twisted spines
Also, depending on the type of material, age can be an important factor.
Please DO NOT donate:
8 Track tapes
Academic Journals
Advance reading copies or galley proofs of any book
Cassette tapes
Catalogs
Coloring or activity books (unless new)
Computer books more than 3 years old
Dictionaries more than 5 years old
Encyclopedias
Health and medical books more than 5 years old
High school or college annuals or year books
Homemade CD, DVDs
Law books more than 5 years old
Magazines
Medical books more than 5 years old
Pamphlets and small soft cover booklets
Periodicals
Readers Digest Condensed Books
Self-help books more than 3 years old
Special edition magazines or newspapers
Test prep books older than the current year
Textbooks
Toys, games, picture frames, diaries, journals, figures, greeting cards or book marks
Travel guides more than 2 years old
VHS tapes
Please note: For legal reasons, we do not accept homemade copies of any type of media or commercial software that is not packaged with a book.
Please remove any post-it notes or sticky tabs from the book. Sorters won’t take the time to remove them and will discard the book.
Finally, before you donate a book, hold on to the spine and shake each book gently. Very often people leave things in books and forget about them -- important things like receipts with banking numbers, personal photographs, greeting cards with handwritten messages, and even cash. Please check before you donate.
Please note that we do not return containers and we reserve the right to determine whether or not to accept the donation.
Where to drop donated books and other material?
Donations are gratefully accepted at our storage unit:
River Mills Professional Storage Center
2723 Neuse Blvd.
Tuesday through Thursday 8 AM to 4 PM
If necessary to donate at other days and times, you could drop them off at the library, 400 Johnson St., but if you do, we must then transport them to the storage unit which takes extra time and manpower.
It is not possible for the Friends or the Library to pick up donations from the general public. If you are considering a very large donation that might overwhelm our available workspace, please email us to make special arrangements. friendsnewbern@gmail.com
The Friends are pleased to consider offers of unique or specialized collections that do not necessarily meet the standard guidelines above. In some cases, we may send a subject expert to your site to review a special collection. To discuss a donation that may be of unique value, please send a message to our general email: friendsnewbern@gmail.com
How to get a receipt for the donation?
If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, count the number of items you are donating and leave it with your donation including your name and mailing address. The Friends can give signed and dated receipts for the number of items, but cannot assess the value of your donation. The receipt will be mailed, but be patient.
WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR DONATION
OF BOOKS AND OTHER MATERIAL.
HELP NEEDED
Your small Board is getting burned out from all the work entailed to manage this organization and run its various programs. PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!! See the September FOTL newsletter for details. If interested, contact President Joanne Straight jostraight@gmail.com Positions available:
Board members: Treasurer and Directors
Storywalk Coordinator
Online Book Sales
Design & set up Library Circulation Desk Display
Library Volunteers
STORYWALKS AVAILABLE FOR USE IN CRAVEN & PAMLICO COUNTIES